''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

founded by Kurt Kalata in 2004. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game

strategy guide Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and video game walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the ...

s, and felt that someone should create more books about gaming history. In its formative years, ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' focused especially on games from Japan. The site has become known for its in-depth coverage of classic games and the history behind them. Kalata describes his motivations for founding the site, "gaming history is important to me because it's important to analyze how everything is connected to each other. ... New products are always influenced by things that came before it, so it's interesting to trace where certain elements may have come from and to recognize the talents of the trailblazers."

Books

Over the years, ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' has also produced a number of books on specific gaming topics. In 2013, they published ''Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1,'' focused on

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

's contributions to arcade gaming. They later published ''The Best 200 Video Games of All Time'', which examines titles that their editorial team felt were important to the history of games. In 2016, they produced a book called ''Taito Arcade Classics'' about the history of

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

, arcade games, and the gaming industry in japan. This followed with the publication of ''The Unofficial Guide To Konami Shooters,'' covering a history of

shooter game Shooter video games, or shooters, are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is on the defeat of the character's enemies using ranged weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range weapons, a ...

s produced by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

, as well as ''Data East Arcade Classics'' about titles from

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. At one time, the company had annual sales of 20 billion yen in ...

. By 2017, ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' also published ''The Guide to Shoot Em Ups: Volume 1,'' which covers classic

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

titles that were not already covered in their books about Taito or Konami.

Recognition

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' contributor Damien McFarren has called the site "a goldmine for retro gamers, with its staff tirelessly uncovering gems from the past that everyone else has all but forgotten about." ''The Escapist'' took note of the site's "exhaustively researched spotlights on games old and new alike", calling ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' "a website that should double as the go-to history text for everyone working in the gaming industry." ''

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...

'' similarly said that "the site excels at unearthing gaming trivia unknown to all but the most insanely dedicated

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...

moderators", calling the publication a "gem".

References

External links

* {{Video game critics Internet properties established in 2004 Online magazines Video game websites